Federal Theatre Project Playscripts listed by Author and Production Location

The following table lists the 68 playscripts that have been digitized for
the online collection to date. The playscripts are selected from the
Federal Theatre Collection Playscripts File, a subseries of the
Library Records series. The Finding Aid to
the Federal Theatre Project Collection provides a complete listing of the contents of the
Playscript File.

The Playscripts File (1936-39 and undated) comprises over 2,500
play titles covering the classics, musicals, vaudeville scenarios,
comedy sketches, living newspaper scripts, plays for children, and
marionette scripts, by well-known or established authors, as well as
plays by unknown authors. Included are some directors' and prompters'
scripts, actors' sides (sheets, usually a half page, containing lines
and cues for a single role), and varying versions of entire
scripts or single acts. While most scripts are in English, there are
some in French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and
Yiddish. The Playscripts File consists of 292 containers (Finding Aid
Boxes 572-863).

Author

Playscript

Production Location

Arent, Arthur

Power

San Francisco, CA
Chicago, IL
New York, NY
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA

Ballard, Frederick

Believe Me, Xantippe
Script One (Prompt book; produced at Thirty-Ninth Street Theatre in New York City; probably FTP-sponsored)

Barton, Andrew

The DisappointmentScript One (Original draft; from National Service Bureau; oversize script)
Script Two (Clean script; minor corrections; no other details)
Script Three (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no details)
Script Four (Clean script; no details)

The Silver Box
Script One (Working copy; from National Service Bureau; no details)
Script Two (One marked passage only; belonged to Henry Stillman)

Gilbert, William S.

The Mikado
Script One (Clean script; no details)
Script Two (Clean script; National Service Bureau copy; typing finished 3/28/39; no details)
Script Three (Clean script; illegible name of Newark, N.J. resident in upper-left)
Script Four (Working copy; belonged to John Tate; includes names of actors; typing finished 5/11/39)

A Texas Steer
Script One (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no details)
Script Two (Working copy; copyright problems resolved)

Los Angeles, CA
Chicago, IL

MacKaye, Percy

The Scarecrow
Script One (Working copy; belonged to Henry B. Harris of the Hudson Theatre in New York City)
Script Two (Working copy; appears to have been used by Federal Theatre's Classical Program; illegible name of owner on inside of cover; from New York City; poor condition)

The First Lady of the Land or Dolly Madison
Script One (Clean script; property of Henry B. Harris, Hudson Theatre, N.Y.C.)

Shakespeare, William

As You Like It
Script One (Clean script; produced at Blackstone Theatre in Chicago, beginning 6/8/39, directed by Russell Spindler; (index card backs up place and date information)
Script Two (Clean script; possibly performed in California; no details)

Chicago, IL

Comedy of Errors
Script One (Working script; no other details)
Script Two (Clean script; no details)

Androcles and the Lion
Script One (Clean script; no details)
Script Two (Clean script; dated 2/10/39; time notations in margins; no other details)
Script Three (Clean script; no details)
Script Four (Cast of Characters has first names of actors in pencil; scattered staging notes)
Script Five (Created by same company that used Script Four, but this version was found faulty and not used)
Script Six (National Service Bureau script; dated 1/24/39; clean script)
Script Seven (Prompt book, with staging and sound directions; no other details)
Script Eight (Folder contains 19 playscript sides)
Script Nine (Folder contains 21 playscript sides)

Los Angeles, CA
Denver, CO
Atlanta, GA
New York, NY
Seattle, WA

Arms and the Man
Script One (Clean script; from Midwest Regional Service Bureau of WPA; no details)
Script Two (Prompt book; Detroit)
Script Three (Prompt book)

San Diego, CA
Des Moines, IA
Salem, MA
Detroit, MI

The Devil's Disciple
Script One (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no other details)
Script Two (Prompt script; back cover is pricelist of other FTP plays and ordering information)
Script Three (Working script; Los Angeles regional office)

Denver, CO
Atlanta, GA
Chicago, IL
New Orleans, LA
Newark, NJ

Great Catherine
Script One (Scattered comments (working script?); no other details)
Script Two (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no other details)

New York, NY
Roslyn, NY

Sheridan, Richard Brinsley

The Rivals
Script One (Working copy; possibly belonged to George LeGuere of 130 W. 44th Street; actors' names included; New York City; "Announcement" with information about the play is folded inside)

New York, NY

The School for Scandal
Script One (Working copy; appears to have been used by Federal Theatre's Classical Program; illegible name of owner on inside of cover; from New York City; poor condition)
Script Two (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no details)